A article I read, made me do a search on personal drones. To my surprise they are pretty reasonably priced...a water proof one for around 300. add a Go Pro, which one may already have and what 600 together? How many have them and are using them to scout?...The article I read was the forest service saying no to their use as a hunting tool. What are your thoughts and would you want someone to be able to remotely "scout" your posted hunting lands? Could they be used to "drive" deer?

Farfetched? I think not. And simply driving deer is the least of it. Look at the Youtube link. The technology is already there. An extreme case? Yes, but as we all know, if it can be done then some will do it.

And it wouldn't be all that far a stretch to mount a crossbow on this thing either.

Any how... I was trying to keep this in the realm of hunting and thoughts on the of use as a hunting/scouting tool...Are ther ppl out there using them now? is there should there be rules regarding the usage on private/state lands...Thoughts?

Down here, there isn't much discussion about using them to scout or spy on deer numbers across property lines. The biggest objection as been to the groups like PETA using them to film and disrupt hunts. Many of you probably read about the PETA drone (that was actually a Radio Shack RC helicopter with a camera attached) that was shot down by guides at Broxton Bridge Plantation a few years ago during a pigeon shoot. The courts ruled that the guides were perfectly within their rights to shoot it down because of SC's law that makes it illegal to harass hunters legal pursuit of game. On top of that the PETA group had parked their vehicle and were operating the "drone" from the plantation's property across the highway from the field where the hunt was being conducted. That case actually ended up with the PETA people being charged with trespassing and hunter harassment. Needless to say, here in Hampton and Colleton counties, we haven't had a lot of "drone" activity since then! On the other hand, my place is very close to the county airport and the National Guard compound. This past season I was sitting in one of my deer stands when a fully armed Army attack chopper kept buzzing and targeting me. It had the full arsenal of rockets mounted under the wings, and it was close enough I could see the Gatling gun barrels as it swiveled side to side and up and down while it hovered over me. I could easily see the pilot and the gunner as they watched me. I'm guessing they were just fooling around and having a good time; but I'll admit I did pull the hammer back on the T/C with it resting on the gun rail on the front of the stand. I know that a 150 grain .308 bullet against an armored chopper would have only been like a mosquito bite on Kevlar, but they hovered for so long I wasn't sure what to expect!

RT, you have brought up another aspect of these..was not new but now the prices are coming down so it will open the potential usage of them.Now add this, what if due to budgets the DEC/DNR's across the country find using these will free up man hours. When call of potential illegal activity is reported...we know how PETA type enjoy doing that...and the state agency decide to use those to monitor your lands.

How would you react if say..You were set up a couple of hundred ft off a field you planted and you could glass a bunch of nice deer buck and doe when all of a sudden they spook and run toward your neighbors hunting grounds. Now you realize he could glass that field from his place and sent a drone in to spook them his way...Thoughts?

How would you react if say..You were set up a couple of hundred ft off a field you planted and you could glass a bunch of nice deer buck and doe when all of a sudden they spook and run toward your neighbors hunting grounds. Now you realize he could glass that field from his place and sent a drone in to spook them his way...Thoughts?[/quote]